


Detonation

by peaceloveclarinets (trachelium)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Cold War, Drama & Romance, M/M, RusAme, Stranded
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-08-19 10:35:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8202310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trachelium/pseuds/peaceloveclarinets
Summary: The cold war is in full swing and although tensions are high, Alfred and Ivan find themselves trapped in a cabin in the middle of winter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This if from like 2011 and I'm just transferring all my stories from fanfiction to here. Sorry I'm late to the game.

4,345… 4,346… 4,347… Alfred checked off the numbers as he went down the aisle, counting each bomb. _You can never be too careful…_ He thought to himself. He wasn't risking any chance of being destroyed by that crazy commie, Ivan. Alfred adjusted his small brown hat that sat on top of his head, Nantucket boldly from the rest of his blonde hair. The underground store room was dark and depressing, but it gave him a sense of security. In these times, everyone needed to feel secure, even if it was a room full of artillery many stories underground.

The young American went back to counting, checking everything off on his list. By the time he had finished with his aisle, he dropped the list off to the records keeper on the floor and left. The air outside the store room was cold but then again, everything had an enveloping coldness about it. Wrapping his work blazer tighter around him, he walked up the stairs to the ground level where he could at least get into his favorite jacket. The old bomber jacket had served him well through so much. He couldn't help but use it a sort of security blanket. The worn leather and patches triggered so many memories. He closed his blue eyes for a second to calm himself before he started crying due to an emotional breakdown.

Just thinking about getting into the warm leather bomber jacket was enough to motivate him to get out of the small, bleak building faster. The last flight of stairs came into view and a light was shining through the lightly tinted window. He raced up the final flight with a light grace that a man of his stature wouldn't be expected to have.

Alfred emerged from the door, a large smile stretched out across his face. The other men looked at him for a second before shrugging off the unusual behavior. Usually the man had a solemn expression like many people did during these times. Alfred strutted across the room and slipped into the well worn jacket. He sighed happily and signed out, putting his card through the puncher. Despite usually getting to work rather late, he always left on time or worked some over time. He was lazy, sure, but he wanted his home to be safe and tried to make up lost time.

The cold late fall wind blew his golden blonde hair out of place. He blinked it out of his eyes and fought to put the flying strands back where they belonged. He narrowed his sky blue eyes, glaring at the strands of blonde hair that had found their way, once again, in his face.

"So we meet again…" He chuckled. This time he left the hair how it was, giving up on trying to fix it.

The walk home wasn't bad at all once he got going. He rounded the familiar corners and walked down the streets he usually did until he got to his home on the outskirts of a friendly town. He scanned over the wrap-around porch for Tony, his alien friend. The grey creature wasn't there waiting for him like puppy. Alfred became worried. What if one of Ivan's crazy spies stole his best friend?

"Hey Tony! I'm home!" He called, his usual grin stretched across his face. The small, grey alien suddenly appeared from the front doorway. Alfred ran up his porch steps, a huge grin stretched across his face. He was so relieved that the grey creature was still there. Tony one was one of his few friends and he didn't want to lose the little guy.

"It's about fucking time!" Tony mumbled, crossing his arms and glaring up at the blonde. Alfred laughed as he squatted to pat Tony on his smooth grey head.

"Sorry little dude! The job today was a little long, but it'll be shorter tomorrow… hopefully." Alfred stood up and opened the door to his unorganized house. Empty cups and paper wads covered the coffee table along with stacks of magazines and books on science, particularly space. He smiled and plopped down onto his couch which seemed to be the only clean surface.

"You have no idea how good it feels to sit down…" He said to no one, really. Alfred hoped Tony would at least acknowledge that he spoke. He sat up and looked at the alien who was now listening intently on the land line telephone in the kitchen. Alfred tilted his head to the side and gave Tony a questioning look. The alien looked at him and hung up the phone.

"Those fucking limeys want you for a world meetin' tomorrow." Tony grumbled. Alfred laughed. Finally he would get out of the rut he seemed to be in lately.

"I love seeing the others!" Alfred hoped those words would convince himself that not everyone had some sort of grudge against him. Hopefully he could motivate himself.

"Humph. I think you just want out that dead end work your boss has been puttin' you in." Tony picked up a deck of cards and started playing solitaire. Alfred wanted to play a game with him, but he also wanted his hero sleep. Alfred quietly made his way up the stairs to his bedroom.

To an extent, Tony was right. He was stressed to his limit these days. Ivan and his boss were always a threat. It took his all not to attack the bastard in meetings. If it were up to him, Ivan wouldn't even be allowed to come. Alfred had proposed a secret password to come into the meeting room countless times, but no one seemed to vote for his ideas.

Alfred lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Hopefully tomorrow would be different and that stupid commie would just go away. If only he were that lucky. 


	2. Chapter 2

Alfred casually strode into the conference room where the world meetings were held. He held a stack of unorganized papers in one hand and a half empty Coca-Cola bottle in the other. He set his stuff down at his seat, glancing around. He was late and it showed on everyone else's faces.

"Haha… Sorry I'm late guys!" The American apologized. There was a loud, angry huff from the other side of the room.

"This isn't the first time, you git." Said the angry Brit. His large eyebrows were furrowed with annoyance.

"onhonhon," A blonde Frenchman stood up and put a hand on the Brit's shoulder. "Lighten up mon cherri."

The Brit's cheeks turned a pale red as he pushed the other's man hand off of him. "I'll do no such thing, Francis! Being late at every meeting should not be so easily forgiven!" His emerald gaze went to Alfred and bore angry holes in the American.

"Whoa Arthur, I said I was sorry!" Alfred put his hands up in front of him and sat down slowly.

"We get on with the meeting, da?" Came a friendly sounding Russian voice. "Don't let stupid American throw us off topic so easily."

"Hey! No one's throwin' insults at you, Ivan!" Alfred stood up suddenly. If he was a super hero right now, he would use his laser eyes and burn holes in Ivan's chest. Ivan flashed a grin at him as they both sat down, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.

The man standing at the head of the table cleared his throat. "Ah. Yes. May we get on with the meeting now?" His ice blue eyes scanned every face. Alfred sank lower in his chair, a scowl across his face. He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted as he glared at Ivan.

Alfred watched the seconds tick away on his watch. Only two hours left… He thought. He hoped it wasn't going to feel like forever. He tapped his foot impatiently with his head thrown back as the countries spoke about the issue, whatever it was.

He felt a light tap on his shoulder. "Alfred, do you have something to say, aru?" Yao, a small Chinese man, looked at Alfred sternly. Alfred sat up as if he had something great to say.

"About what?" He asked the older nation. The others looked at him in annoyance.

"The endangered animals, Alfred! Pay attention!" Arthur shouted across the table.

"Oh! That! We should fly a giant kite with a net attached to it and scoop up all the animals," He swung his arms in a swoop as he spoke, nearly knocking into Yao. "And place them in a bomb-proof shelter where Ivan, or his little commie friends can't get them!" Alfred smiled. He was proud of his answer.

"I'm going to have to disagree with you, America." Ivan smiled his usual, creepy smile. "We should keep them from you. You would probably turn them into the next popular treat."

Alfred looked at the Russian, shocked. He slowly frowned and took a sip from his coke as he sat down.

"I give up. I refuse to argue with this… mental patient anymore." Alfred shook his head as he spoke. He hated that he had to give up, but he had to because he was the hero.

Alfred felt that the meeting dragged forever. He couldn't wait to leave this hell hole and be free to play games at his home. He smiled at the thought of it.

At the end of the meeting, Alfred was stopped by a cold touch on his way down the hall. Alfred pulled away at his light touch and blushed slightly. He whipped around to find Ivan smiling down on him.

"There were nice discussions today at the meeting, da?" Ivan asked. His light purple eyes searched Alfred's sky blue eyes.

"Yeah… I guess. To be honest, I just wanted the stupid thing to be over." Alfred was careful enough to not say what was really on his mind, no matter how much it wanted to slip out. He nit his tounge.

"I like seeing all my friends, you know, but it'll be sad when they beg for mercy." The taller man smiled a truly evil smile. Alfred gulped.

"Cool, dude. T-t-tell me how it goes!" Alfred managed to walk away quickly. He tossed his 2nd coke in the trash as he got closer to the stairs.

"Alfred… Alfred! …. ALFRED F. JONES!" Alfred turned around, looking for the owner of the voice that was calling his name. It was Arthur. He was racing down the hallway after him. Great timing, Artie. Alfred thought.

"Yeah?"

"What's the matter with you? You acted like a royal arse back there in the meeting. What's wrong?" Arthur's tone was worried, along with his expression.

"I'm fine, Arthur. I'm just tired." Alfred spoke softly. He didn't want to worry the other nation. He was glad that at least one person cared about him. He tried to smile convincingly.

"Bluffer. You sleep ten hours a night. You can't possibly be tired." Arthur glared at Alfred. Alfred sighed.

"I'm going home." Alfred turned and left. He hoped that once he left the building, things would start to be alright again.

Walking down the streets, Alfred hummed a soft tune. It was refreshing to actually be out of the building. So many people fighting in one room just ticked him off. His pace quickened as he saw his familiar fencing. Soon. Soon I can sit on by ass and do absolutely nothing! Alfred ran up his porch steps and opened his front door, only to see nothing but black and searing pain in the back of his head.


	3. Chapter 3

Alfred slowly opened his eyes, rubbing the back of his head tenderly. He winced a little at the pain. He felt the knot that had formed in the back of his head. The young man rubbed his eyes, wiping the crust at the corner of his blue eyes away.

One look around the room he awoke in told him that he wasn't home. Pale morning light filtered through an elegant white curtain. The drywall was a pale yellow that complimented the light colored logs that formed the outermost wall. The bed frame was a white four poster with light, pastel blue colored sheets. Alfred swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Where… am I… exactly? He though as he gingerly walked over the hardwood floor.

Opening the door, Alfred was lead into a small hallway. The walls were white and bare. He opened the nearest door. It was a small bathroom. He frowned slightly at the plainness of it and kept going. The next door reveled a large bedroom. The walls were blue and the king sized bed had clean white sheets that were tossed about as if someone had been there. Alfred tilted his head at the thought. Is there someone else in the cabin other than him.

"Hello?" He called out. Staining his ears, he heard the slight sound of a pan setting on a stove. Alfred ran down that stairs, following the noise. He walked into the kitchen on instinct. It was a homey kitchen with a small table that nicely sat two people.

Working at the stove was none other than Ivan. Alfred's eyes doubled in size as he back out of the kitchen. His hands went up slowly, getting closer to his head.

"So, I take it you woke up here too, da?" Ivan asked. The Russian's gaze never really left the eggs he was cooking.

Alfred laughed nervously. "Yeah, dude! Weird isn't it?" He ran a hand through his disshelved hair. Alfred had a queasy feeling in his gut witch, according to his research, was never good. He watched as Ivan skillfully made food for a second before turning to leave.

"What? Are you going now? It is rude to walk out on someone who spent so long on making you delicious meal." Ivan's stern, yet strangely happy voice stopped the American in his tracks. Alfred turned to face Ivan on his heel. He plastered a goofy grin to his face and walked to the table.

"If you laced these with poison, I'll come back from the dead and choke you." Alfred's tone was happy, his blue eyes sparkling.

"I'll choke you now if you like." Ivan retorted the same tone and sweet smile as the younger nation. Alfred knew what the smile meant. It meant the same thing as his own pissed off smile. 'I hate you and everything about you.'

Ivan slid Alfred a fork. Alfred held it out in front of him, inspecting it. Once he deemed it okay, he dug into his eggs. He never had the opportunity to eat food that wasn't burnt thanks to Arthur. He heard Ivan chuckling and stopped eating for a second.

"You uh… wanna tell me why you're laughin'?" Alfred asked, his mouth full of food.

"You are so funny when you eat. It's like starved animal!" The Russian continued to laugh, filling the quietly house. Alfred looked at him quizzically. He looked down at his empty plate and quietly swirled his fork on it. What Am I supposed to say? Dude! You make good food! Alfred frowned with the thought.

"I have noticed something…" Ivan said. Alfred noticed the pondering facial expression on the Russian. "You have not been your normal self since we started hating each other… You seem sad. Da?"

"Well… I guess I am. Do you want me to be happy? If you do, then you're crazier than I thought." Alfred said bluntly.

"No… But you don't have to worry the oth-" Alfred cut Ivan off.

"How do you know that the others worried? They don't even look worried!"

"Classic you, Mr. America. They actually called on the phone. They told me." Ivan smiled. Alfred looked around for the phone from his seat and saw nothing.

"Where is this phone?" Alfred asked, returning his gaze to the man in front of him.

"I destroyed it. I don't want you leaving me here alone." Ivan smiled. Alfred cringed at the statement. The last he wanted was to be stuck in this place in the middle-of-no-where with the craziest, most insane person he knew. Alfred sighed.

"That's absolutely wonderful…" Alfred muttered. He got up and put his dirty dished in the large metal sink. He walked out of the kitchen and was almost to the stairs when two large arms enveloped him in a hug.

"I'm sorry Alfred…" Ivan whispered. Alfred froze, shocked. He pushed forwards a little but stopped when Ivan showed no signs of letting him go.

"Why, dude?"

"Just… for making you so paranoid all the time," The Russian stopped for a breath. "And for that look of hate in your eyes… your pretty blue eyes…"

Alfred didn't know what to do at this point. Where was the relentless, intimidating Ivan he knew? Alfred certainly didn't see this side of the man coming. He awkwardly patted the other's man's arm.

"H-hey! It's okay! No need to get all over emotional over this!" Alfred's words weren't coming out as he wanted. For now, he really just wanted the mentally unstable commie off of him.

As a last resort, he used force to pry the arms from around him. When he turned to face Ivan, the Russian's violet eyes were encased in worry and sadness. Alfred gasped a little, not knowing the other nation who always seemed to have a smile, actually had feelings of sorrow. He ran. He ran to the lightly colored room he woke in and shut the door locking it. He was utterly shocked and confused above all else.


	4. Chapter 4

Dude, this is so weird… Alfred found himself thinking this as he sat with his back against the door to the room he woke up in. He pulled his jacket closer to him and inhaled. The comforting scents of home, food and bon fires filled his nose. He wished that he could be at his own home with Tony and Whaley. He had a dreading feeling that he would be here for a while.

Before long, there was a light knocking on the door. Alfred's head snapped up, his blue eyes focused on the door.

"What do you want?" Alfred asked. He kept his tone calm.

"You have been in there for some time now, da? You should come out and be sociable." Ivan's voice had the sort of calm, 'nothing had happened' tone to it that Alfred didn't like.

"I am too sociable! Hero's have to be!" Alfred had jumped up now and opened the door. He stared at Ivan who now had his face half hidden behind his scarf. Alfred pushed it down, revealing the Russian's full face.

"You can't hide your face, man. It's muffling your voice that's hard enough to understand in the first place."

"You could perfectly understand me if you were smart enough to learn another language, da?" Ivan smiled. Alfred though he sounded a little pissed off, but he shrugged it off.

Alfred crossed his arms lightly over his chest. "You should learn better English"

Ivan shook his head and grabbed the American's wrist. Alfred stared at the sudden contact and tried to pull away, but he was already being led down the stairs and into the den of the cabin. It had a large fireplace and a soft looking couch. Just had Ivan had said earlier, there wasn't a phone. Alfred sighed. He wouldn't be able to call Mattie or even Arthur for help.

"Hey! We should play a totally awesome game of hide and seek in the woods!" Alfred suggested. This is good, He thought. I can escape from here as he counts! Alfred smiled. Ivan's eyes lit up and he nodded.

"Great!" Alfred squeaked as he tugged the other man's arm, heading towards the back door of the cabin.

The outside air was fresh. Alfred knew they were some kind of mountain because of the thinner air and the trees. He looked at the tree line which wasn't more than a few yards away.

"It sure is pretty out here…" Ivan said quietly. Alfred glanced at the Russian, then at the trees which were ablaze with the magnificent colors of fall leaves. Reds, yellows, and oranges set the landscape on a facade of color wonder. Alfred's eyes widened. It was beautiful. He jumped off the large back porch of the cabin, catching the Russian off guard.

Alfred felt a large body on top of his. He opened his eyes. Ivan had tumbled on top of him and was rubbing his head.

"Did you have to jump off so unexpectedly like that?"

Alfred didn't answer. A light blush had covered his cheeks. He tried to push the other man off of him. The American was looking away from the man on top of him, an embarrassed expression written across his face. Ivan started to laugh.

Stupid commie, He thought as he stood up. He brushed his pants off, glaring knives at Ivan. The Russian continued to laugh.

"You are too cute when you pout, no?" Ivan smiled and heartily patted the smaller man on the back. He smiled. Alfred sighed and relaxed his glare. The American pushed up the bridge of his glasses.

"Yeah… Now why did you drag me out here, dude?"

"I am going to show you nature." Ivan looked out over the trees as he spoke. Alfred looked at him critically, wondering what was wrong with the other man. He shook his head.

"I've seen trees and stuff, man. "

"Being out here is better for you than being holed up in that small stuffy room." Ivan glanced back at Alfred and then walked to the tree line. A strike of panic washed over Alfred.

"H-hey! Don't leave me here like that, dude!" The American ran after the other man, who had stopped to look at him with his head titled to the side.

"I will count here, and you go and hide, da?" Ivan asked softly. He shifted his scarf a little. Alfred nodded.

"Yeah dude. How 'bout you count to… 30 or something?" Alfred asked as he walked into the woods. Ivan had hid his face against a tree and was Alfred counting. Alfred had to listen a little bit to understand that the other man was counting in Russian.

Great, Alfred thought as he strolled through the woods, his hands in the pockets of his well-worn bomber jacket. If he takes long enough to count, I can get the hell out of here. Alfred was content with his plan.

Alfred came across a large outcropping of rock with bushes surrounding the underneath. The young man smiled and army-crawled to get to middle of the bush half-circle. This is so cool! I feel like a military hero! He sat up and slowly moved so his back was against the cool grey rock.

Alfred relaxed a little. The sun was staring to set, filling the sky with reds and gold. Alfred watched the sky with small smile. Large birds, flying free and majestically, stood out against the golden evening light. Their dark shapes soaring through the air with ease. Alfred sighed, wishing he could fly and join them. His thoughts were stopped but the sound of crunching leaves.

"I will find you, Alfred." Ivan's voice sounded through the otherwise silent forest. Alfred stiffened and took shallow breaths. The crunching of boots on leaves was getting closer. Each step was louder than next until it stopped. Alfred untensed and looked around. W-why did he just stop? He thought.

"There you are, Mr. America!" Ivan said. Alfred screamed and threw his hands over his eyes. Ivan had leaned over the outcropping and was now smiling at the American, upside down.

"That wasn't cool!" Alfred shouted. His voice cracked slightly. Ivan chuckled.

"I found you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but you did it like a stupid commie." Alfred glared daggers at Ivan. He crawled out from his hiding place and stretched. Ivan was beside him now.

"It is mine turn to hide now, is it not?"

"Yeah, yeah." Alfred said, waving Ivan off. He turned the opposite way the other man had left and put his hands over his eyes.

"One… two… three… four… five…" Alfred strained his ears to hear which way Ivan was going. "Fifteen… sixteen… seventeen… eighteen… nineteen… twenty" He heard nothing. Everything was silent except for Alfred's counting. "Twenty-seven… twenty-eight… twenty-nine… Thirty! Ready or not, here I come!" Alfred had turned to the direction that he seen Ivan leave.

The ground looked like normal forest ground to the American. Despite having no idea where the Russian had went, he walked forwards. He played a popular song he liked through his head, humming softly to it. He pushed the bridge of his glasses up his nose and looked around. There wasn't any sign that anyone had been through here besides himself.

Alfred spun around once, twice, three times before he finally got that he was lost. Nothing seemed familiar. He ran a hand through his hair. Oh no… I can't be lost! He thought. He walked a little to his left, but found nothing. He glanced at the sky. It was nearly dark.

He headed back to where he hid in the first round of the game. Alfred climbed on top of the overhang and looked over a slightly larger view of the forest. Nothing had seemed unchanged. He sighed angrily and got down from the rocks.

"This is why you're a commie! It's getting dark and you should seriously consider coming out of hiding, man!" Alfred shouted into the forest. He didn't get a response. His eyes widened with fear at the realization that he was alone.

"Great. Now I can die alone and hungry in the woods with bears." Alfred muttered to himself. Shivered at a cold chill went through him. He pulled his jacket closer to him. The temperature had dropped considerably since the sun had set. He turned on his heel and walked forward into the dark forest. Hopefully, he was heading in the right direction; the cabin.


	5. Chapter 5

Alfred trudged along in the dark. His mood wasn't improving as time went on. His smile had faded away into a grimace that darkened his whole face. His face was covered in mud from tripping over roots and leaves filled his blonde hair. He was not enjoying this.

He didn't even bother to think about what he was going to do the Russian when he got back to the small cabin. All he thought about was stuffing his face, taking a shower and sleeping the day's activities off. If only it were that simple. He glanced around at his surroundings and heaved out a large, shaky sigh.

"For God's sake… Where am I?" The young man said as he stopped in his tracks. He squinted for hopes of seeing better through his dust-clouded glasses. He saw a light in the distance and instantly his spirits rose. He took off in a full sprint after the warm yellow light.

He seemed to be moving at the speed of light, for he was at the back door of the log home in what felt like no time at all. He could barely contain himself as he opened the door and felt the warm air envelope him.

Walking further into the house, he saw none other than Ivan, lounging on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate. The larger man looked at Alfred and smiled.

"Finally make it back, did you?" Ivan spoke with a happy tone. Alfred scowled. If looks could kill, Ivan would be seething on the ground in pain.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Alfred rumbled out. He brushed his hands off on his jeans and kicked off his shoes. "You wanna know what happened?"

"Not really, comrade. I'm pretty sure you got lost in the woods and lost the game of hide-and-come-find." Ivan smirked. He was heavily amused that Alfred had been out there all this time. He could only imagine what the other man had been through. The thoughts made him smile.

Ivan just continued to smile in his creepy way until the American left. He sipped his hot chocolate. Today was a job well done. Not only had he managed to trick the stupid country, but he also had time to relax without others rambling on and on about boring things. He sighed contently as he heard the shower start running.

Alfred washed the mud from his face and body angrily. How could I let that guy trick me? He thought. He washed his hair, pulling out leaf fragments as he did so. Playing a game with him in his own element was stupid. He totally stole the trick I was gonna pull on him. Not fair, dude!

He rinsed his hair and turned off the shower. As he stepped out, he noticed that the mirror had steamed up. A brilliant thought entered his head. He was going to take the opportunity to draw all over the mirror. Using his index finger, he drew beautiful drawings of himself being the hero that captured the essence of New York City tastefully.

Stepping back, he smiled. He had only seen something as beautiful once before in an Allies meeting. For some odd reason, everyone else didn't like the style and beauty that Alfred had drawn them in. The young man shrugged and wrapped a towel around his waist. He yawned. The next item on his agenda was being the hero of a good night's rest.

He gathered his things from the bathroom floor and walked out of the bathroom just as Ivan was walking into the other bedroom. The Russian waved and an instant smile came over the man.

"Good night, don't let Belarus bite." Ivan glanced up at the ceiling as he wished Alfred goodnight. Alfred didn't understand why such a huge dude would be so afraid of a cute, petite country like Belarus. The American brushed it off and nodded.

"Goodnight you sick, twisted jerk." Alfred turned around and walked into the room he had awoken in that morning. After getting into a clean pair of boxers he found nicely folded in the dresser and a white t-shirt, he couldn't help but just lay in bed wide awake. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't go to sleep. Somewhere, off in the distance, he heard the light, but constant snoring of the other man. Alfred groaned.

He sat up and fluffed his pillow. He flopped back onto the bed and pulled the covers up. This was not cool. He ran a hand through his now clean hair and sighed rather loudly. He never had a problem sleeping until now. Instantly, he blamed it on Ivan, but the blame shifted to intense moonlight that illuminated the room. He threw an arm over his eyes and started counting super hero sheep in his head. It worked and soon he was off in dream land.

Ivan, on the other hand, had just woken up. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times before finally realizing his surroundings.

"It seems like the moon doesn't want me to sleep. If only I could blow it up…"he pondered quietly. He absentmindedly played with the end of his scarf as he stared off into space. He wasn't thinking about anything really, he just replayed the whole day in his head.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes again and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The sun drove holes through Alfred's eyelids, causing him to wake up. He wished her could sleep just a little bit longer. He checked the clock that was mounted on the wall. He guessed that he would just accept waking up as early as 10:30 in the morning.

He sat up and stretched his arms over his head. He had slept surprisingly well. Blinking, he looked at the bedroom. He didn't notice how small it was before now. He shrugged and got up. When his feet made contact with the hardwood flooring, he shivered. It was shockingly cold. He didn't expect that. Wasn't there central heating in the house?

He made his way over to the dresser. There were clean pants in one of the lower drawers. How they all got there escaped him. He guessed it was ghosts or something, but the nice ghosts like Casper. He shuddered at the thought of ghosts. That was creepy.

Alfred slipped on the jeans he picked out and cautiously walked out of the room. He quietly walked down the hallway and to the stairs. Alfred was pretty sure that the Russian would eat him if he woke the larger man up. He continued on with his quiet walking when a scent hit him. It was amazing, wonderful, and delicious all at the same time.

It was food. The American didn't care about whether or not it was good. He rushed into the kitchen and took a seat at the full plate. Magically appearing food was always the best kind. He took the fork and dug right in., ignoring the fact that there was another presence in the room.

Ivan looked up from the book he was reading. "I'm sorry for tricking you yesterday…" He said. He was glad that Alfred was horrible at reading the atmosphere, because I van wasn't the least bit sorry for the trick he played on the other man just yet.


	6. Chapter 6

Alfred's expression was a mix of shock and confusion when he first saw the Russian in the kitchen. However, he quickly turned on his mask of happiness. He ignored the little voice in his head telling him that the Russian was up to something. Hey! Dude! He's up to something! Don't trust a Commie! His small conscious' voice rang out in his head. It was barely there, hardly even breaching his hard mental shield of obliviousness.

"Thanks, dude. I forgive you for coming inside while I froze my nads* off. That's cool." He gave Ivan a hearty pat on the back, a giant smile patched on his face. He turned to the coffee machine and poured himself a steaming cup. The fresh aroma filled his nose with a calming

"So, do you really get up at the crack of dawn to make coffee and stuff?" Alfred asked as stirred sugar into his coffee. Deeming that it wasn't enough, he added more of the sweet substance.

"Da. I get more done than one who sleeps until midday." Ivan said with a twinge of confidence leaking through h is voice. He smirked for a short period of time before sipping more coffee.

Alfred leaned against the counter and sipped the liquid. "Hmmph." Was all the normally talkative country could manage to get out. He gazed deeply into his coffee and thought about yesterday and the events that took place. He released a huge sigh and his sky blue eyes turned sorrowful. Nothing lately had been going according to his plans. He wanted to sit at home and read comics with Tony.

The thoughts were bringing him down. He sighed and looked up. Ivan was looking at the American in confusion. Alfred smiled quickly, trying to hide the fact that he even had emotions other than anger and blissful ignorance. He brought his mug up to his lips and sipped. A loud slurping noise eliminated from the cup as he tried to make the loudest noise possible to annoy the other nation.

Ivan glared at Alfred. "You are stopping that, da?" He said, clearly annoyed with the loud slurping noise that Alfred continued to make. The younger man shrugged and continued making the noise, no matter how annoying.

"Alfred!" Ivan shouted.

Alfred pulled his mug from his face, ceasing the noise. "Yeah?"

"Stop making the stupid sound before I use my pickax on your face."

Ivan's brows furrowed in frustration. He only watched as the American cringed in fear of the thought of his face being attacked by the tool.

"That's not cool, bro." Alfred spoke after a long silence. Ivan didn't respond and instead, looked out the far window. Alfred shrugged and put his empty cup in the sink. He casually strode into the den and flopped himself on the sofa. He swung his legs and threw his head back, staring at the ceiling. His blonde hair fell away from his face.

"I. Am. So. Bored." He groaned. Alfred closed his eyes tightly. A deep chuckle came from the kitchen where Ivan was watching him and enjoying what he was seeing. Alfred rolled his head over to the side and glared at the other man.

Ivan shook his head and got up to wash his own mug out. Alfred was amusing. He smiled, thinking of Alfred as his back was turned to him. He wouldn't let Alfred see this side of him. That would be stupid. He wouldn't risk anything in front of the loudmouth nation. That would be horrible.

Turning back to Alfred, Ivan found that the blonde man had moved from his place on the sofa. Ivan glanced over the small den. He glanced around the room. There weren't any sounds indicating a presence. Deafening silence fill the cabin.

It reminded the Russian of his home when he was young. The snow made a deafening silence that filled his existence for the most part of his childhood. A worried frown inscribed its self on Ivan's features. This couldn't be good. Knowing the other nation, he was probably going to pull some kind of practical joke in revenge for what Ivan did to him yesterday. Ivan didn't want Alfred to hate him.

"Alfred?" Ivan called out. Nothing.

"Comrade, are you here?" He tried again to locate the American. Ivan's ears rang with silence. He strode to the back door. Twisting the handle and opening the solid door, he felt a cold rush of air, as if the winter was welcoming him home. He stood on the deck, his hands on the sturdy rail.

Click.

Ivan turned around sharply, a disapproving frown on his face. He jerked the door knob. It was locked. He jiggled the knob. He heard a tap on the glass and looked up to see a familiar, smirking face. Ivan scowled.

Man! He looks pissed! Alfred thought as he watched Ivan freak out. He continued to smile. The Russian couldn't hurt him all the way outside. Knowing that gave Alfred a boost of confidence. It swelled inside of him, filling him with warm pride.

"Sorry dude! It's stuck!" He called out, hoping that Ivan could hear him. In return, Ivan screamed some choice words in his native language at the American. Alfred cringed away from Ivan's piercing glare. He turned on his heels and walked from the door.

Boom. Bomp. Boom.

Alfred looked over his shoulder to see the door pulsing against the frame as Ivan pushed on it. Fear washed over Alfred. He turned and booked it* to his room.

Ivan eventually broke the whimsy lock on the door. He growled with anger, but didn't lash out. He figured that he had somewhat brought this onto himself with the joke he did on Alfred the other day. He sat on the sofa and put his face in his palm.

Alfred made him so angry.

Alfred also brought a small bit of joy and laughter that he didn't have at home. He was torn, but that was okay. He sighed heavily and rubbed his shoulder. It hurt a little from the laborus pushing that he did.

"Dude! What did you do to the door?" Alfred basically yelled. The young man ran to the ruined frame and busted lock. He got on his knees and ran a skillful hand over the woodwork. A frown darkened Alfred's features.

"It's ruined." Alfred said simply. He closed the door, but it didn't shut completely. Alfred just knew that a draft would come through the ajar door. Glancing at the hinges, he noticed a slight bend. He stood up. The door was completely ruined, hinges and all.

Alfred glared at Ivan who only shrugged. Night had set and the chill could already be felt coming from the broken door. Alfred shivered in his t-shirt and jeans as he made his way to an armchair.

"Just to let you know, I blame this all on you." Alfred said coldly with his arms wrapped around his body.

Ivan laughed. "I didn't lock roommate out of house, da?" Alfred just frowned and shivered. He hated the cold. They sat in silence for a long time. Ivan eventually got tired of Alfred's attitude and shivering

"Maybe if you come sit by me, you would be warmer, da?" Ivan suggested. He patted the cushion next to him. Alfred eyed it wearily, debating each side in his mind. He was cold. So much so that shivering didn't help. He slowly made his way over to the Russian.

Ivan was warm.

Alfred rested his cheek on Ivan's shoulder. The other man wrapped an arm around Alfred. Ivan smiled down at Alfred who was stiff and looking forwards. He was happy that he even got to be this close to Alfred.

Alfred's mind on the other hand, was racing with thoughts. He looked straight ahead, hiding his red face. It burned. He wasn't about to let the commie know that he was blushing like girl right now. He couldn't help it, though. He was warm and even though he was so mean to Ivan, he still allowed Alfred to do this.

"T-Thanks, commie…" Alfred whispered. Ivan glanced down at Alfred and smiled.

"It's not a problem." I wish you would do this more. Ivan mentally added. He sighed and shifted his violet gaze across the room. A soft snore started up. Alfred had fallen asleep, a peaceful smile drawn with his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nads: Genitalia.
> 
> Booked it: Running really fast to a destination for a reason.


	7. Chapter 7

Warm sunlight shone on the American's eyes, causing him to wake. He grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He blinked a few times. He wasn't in his bed. He sat up quickly and glanced around the den. The fire had died out and a blanket had been draped over him. Alfred was confused.

"Good morning." A voice, thick with Russian accent sounded in his ear. Alfred jumped a little.

"What happened last night, dude?" Alfred asked, a hand to his forehead. Ivan smiled at him.

"You fell asleep in my lap like a baby." Ivan spoke softly.

"What? Stop lying. That's not cool, bro!" Alfred snapped back. A light, frustrated blush spread across his cheeks.

"I'm not." Ivan smirked then proceeded to walk into the kitchen. Alfred watched as the other man made coffee. Did I really do that? The American thought. He blushed harder and fell back onto the couch, pulling the blanket over his face. His bomber jacket crinkled slightly at the sudden movement.

Ivan looked over his shoulder when he heard the sudden crinkle of worn leather, but blew it off as nothing when he saw the other man laying peacefully on the sofa. He looked out the small kitchen window where a pale light was leaking through the drawn back, white curtains. A layer of snow had made its home on the outside world.

"There's snow outside, play in it with me, da?" The larger man smiled and turned fully to the young America on the couch. The blonde sat up and looked at Ivan in confusion. The cloudy expression soon turned into a bright grin.

"Sure, man! Just don't leave me out there again."

"Do not blame me for your incompetent finding skills." Ivan retorted. He took his gloves from his pocket and put them on, flexing his fingers for a better fit. The door was still ajar and broken from the day before and a draft was coming in from the wind chilled by the snow.

Alfred was right on his heels, pulling on is boots and gloves in a clumsy manner. He lost his balanced on foot and held a glove in one hand and the other in his mouth. Ivan had already made his way out the door by the time the American had even made contact with the door knob.

The cold hit Alfred in a rush of bitter stings. Why was everything so cold at this cabin? He sighed and zipped up jacket as a final shield against the unrelenting, frozen wind. He looked around the white bliss for the other man, only realizing his location when a cold sting his face. He wiped the melting snow from his face and glared at the laughing Russian.

Smirking, Alfred picked up a rather large pile of snow and rubbed his hands around it, compacting it into a ball. He threw it directly at his opponent. He heard it make contact with a loud thud. Alfred looked at his target to find a scary grin on Ivan's face. A purple aura seemed to glow around the man threateningly.

Alfred turned to run for cover, but he was too late. Snowballs pelted him before he had taken a single step. He stooped down and started piling up his own ammunition. Standing up with his arms full of the frozen ammo, he threw one at Ivan.

"Take that!" He yelled as he too, pelted the other with snowballs.

"Never!" Ivan smiled as he threw the last of his snowball reserves at the American.

There they both stood, in a clearing that had once been covered in pure, undisturbed snow. They gasped for the thin, mountain air and laughed. The lighter and deeper laughed mingled with each other for a lovely sound of happiness.

"You tired, da?" Ivan teased as she stood up straight.

"Are you? Sure you're not up for round two, man?"

Ivan nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to go get the fire started inside." Ivan left for the door in a quiet manor. The snow crunched under his feet.

Alfred looked after him like a lost puppy. To him, the game had only just begun, but things change. The young man shivered as he stuck his hands in his armpits to hopefully bring his frozen fingers back to life. He ran inside after the Russian.

"Dude! It's cold as balls* out there!" the American announced as he entered the house. The door still didn't shut correctly, so it was left to hang open slightly ajar. Ivan was lounging on the couch, a bottle of vodka on the coffee table. It was open and drunk from. Alfred took a seat on the opposite end of the couch.

"Did I really fall asleep in your lap, bro?"

Ivan nodded, "Da."

A blush went over Alfred's face. After having asked the same question twice, there wasn't any way that the other man was laying.

"Your face is all red. It's cute." Ivan noted aloud, only causing the American to give him a firm glare. Alfred's cheeks got redder, still.

"No it's not."

"Da. You should see yourself right now." Ivan smiled and took a swig of vodka.

"You only think that because you're drinking."

"No. Even if I wasn't enjoying vodka, your red face would still be cute. "

Alfred huffed and took the bottle. I might as well forget everything by getting wasted. He thought. He put the bottle to his and let the warm fluid run down his throat. Let the night begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starred Notes
> 
> "Cold as balls": Really cold. It's just something Americans say when it's cold (Slang)


	8. Chapter 8

Alfred laughed loudly and took another sip of vodka. Ivan seemed to have so much, but they were just almost finished with the original bottle. He was smiling and beaming for the first time in months. It should have felt good, but by now he didn't know what he was feeling.

The lights were blurred and everything seemed warm. Alfred had shed his jacket a while ago along with his boots. They had taken a place on the floor by his chair in a heap. He was sitting in a plain white t-shirt and his jeans. From what he saw, Ivan was still wearing his scarf and heavy coat. How was it possible to just sit there and practically burn to death?

"Why don't ya take that thing off?" Alfred asked from his sprawled position on his chair. He pushed his hair from his face.

"I can't, Mr. America. That would be impossible." Ivan had managed to take the bottle from the other man and took a sip. He smiled to himself. Alfred wasn't so great with his liquor. Maybe he would finally open up to Ivan. That would be ideal. Ivan set the bottle on the coffee table in front of him and sat back into the couch. Thoughts poured into his head from all angles. Maybe tonight he could tell Alfred how much he meant to him.

"Hey! Ya big lug, were ya even listenin'?" Alfred spoke rather harshly, a frown dulling his usually bright features. The flickering of the fire only illuminated his frown, making it all the more prevalent. Alfred made a swipe for the bottle, lifting himself slightly for the edge to get it. He missed.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?" Ivan leaned forward to move the bottle from Alfred's reach. The man had obviously had too much.

"I was sayin' that fer a while there, I was so afraid that you were gonna kill me out of now where!" Alfred started laughing again. "Crazy huh?" Alfred's face lit up with his drunken laugh. He slapped his knee and faced the ceiling as he laughed obnoxiously. Ivan was less than amused.

"Yeah…" Ivan chuckled sarcastically and looked away. If anything, he should be the one paranoid about the clueless Alfred accidently pushing some button that released missiles because it was a freaking beautiful button that reminded him of candy. When Ivan next looked at Alfred, the young man was sitting next to him, tugging at his scarf.

"This is just… So soft…" Alfred said as he wrapped himself in the flowing scarf that wasn't wrapped around its owner's neck. Ivan smiled.

"I see why you wear it all the time, but it's so hot in here…" Alfred hand had wandered to the clasp of Ivan's jacket. He fumbled for a while until he got them undone. "Don'tit feelbetter?" Alfred asked, his words slurring together the more he drank the alcohol.

Ivan could feel his heart beat faster and faster. He nodded. The coat did get hot sometimes. Alfred's hand lingered on Ivan's heart. Now, only a shirt separated their skin from touching. Alfred's eyes widened.

"Your heart's beatin' so fast." Alfred looked at Ivan, their gazes locking. Ivan held the other man's hand against his heart for a moment longer, his eyes closed.

"Da."

Alfred blinked. He wrapped his arms around Ivan and placed his ear on the larger man's heart. He closed eyes as he listened to the steady thump that was starting to slow to a normal pace. He smiled gently when he felt a large hand take it's place on his back.

Another hand took his chin, lifting his face up. Alfred was startled for a second as Ivan's lips made contact with his. It was a gentle caress that made his skin tingle. Alfred grabbed the front of the Russian's shirt. The fabric bunched under his fingers. Ivan's hand on his back pushed them closer together as the kiss intensified.

Ivan broke the kiss off, leaving Alfred gasping. He enveloped the other man in a hug. Alfred laid still.

"What just happened?" Alfred asked softly. He pushed himself off of Ivan and supported his head with a hand. He was lightheaded. He touched his still tingling lips, then looked at Ivan. Ivan just smiled at him lovingly.

"This." Ivan hesitated slightly before kissing Alfred again, this time exploring the other's mouth with his tongue. Alfred pushed him away again.

"D-dude!" Alfred shook his head as if it could make the blush on his face disappear. Ivan had moved closer to Alfred and was playing with his soft golden hair. Alfred stroked the end of the scarf that had found its way into his lap. He glanced from the corner of his eye at Ivan who was watching him calmly.

"You liked it, da?" Ivan said in the smaller man's ear. Alfred nodded. His own heart seemed to be beating faster. He placed a hand to it.

"Maybe I should go ta sleep." He stretched and barely had time to relax when strong arms had scooped him up. He flailed his arms once his feet left the safety of the ground.

"Hey! Put me down!"

"No. I'm taking you to bed." Ivan smiled. Despite carrying the extra weight, Ivan carried Alfred steadily up the stairs. Alfred had slowly relaxed and was nearly asleep when Ivan pushed open his own bedroom door. Unlike Alfred's room, Ivan's room was larger with a larger bed and more heavily draped windows.

Ivan laid Alfred on one side of the bed and pulled the covers over his sleeping figure. Alfred seemed to be so peaceful in his sleeping state. Ivan leaned down to gently kiss the American's forehead. He slipped in next to Alfred, keeping a respectable distance. He laid his head on his pillow and smiled, his eyes half closed.

"Good night, Alfred."


	9. Chapter 9

Alfred rubbed his eyes free from sleep and looked around the room. The bed he was in was warm and thick, unlike the one he normally slept in. He pulled the thick blanket up to his neck and cuddled into the soft pillow. He had a pounding headache and just wanted to sleep it off. Right then, he didn't care where he was or who was there, until he felt the light tickle of breath on the back of his neck. He turned around and was face to face with none other than Ivan.

"Good morning, Fredka." Ivan smiled and shifted so his head was resting on his outstretched arm. His violet eyes searched over the hung over Alfred.

"I'm sleeping." Alfred grunted as he pulled the covers over his head. What was up with the random new nickname? What was up with the commie in the same bed as him? He shook the thoughts out of his throbbing head. He twitched when Ivan's cold hand lightly tapped his shoulder.

"You are hung-over, Da?" Ivan snickered. "I wouldn't be surprised with the amount of Vodka you drank last night."

Alfred closed his eyes tightly. He didn't want to remember what happened last night. It fuzzy, but he remembered it. The kiss still lingered in his mind. He heard Ivan sigh loudly, then felt his strong grasp on his shoulder, flipping him on his back.

"Maybe I need to jog your memory, da?" Ivan leaned over the American and kissed him. Alfred's eyes widened and he tried to push the larger man off. His skin felt like fire crackers were going off just below the surface. When Ivan had disconnected, Alfred rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth.

"Ew! Why did you do that?"

"You liked it."

Alfred stuttered, and then harshly turned back over so he was lying on his side once again. He did like it. He liked it almost too much. Ivan's kiss was warm and enveloping unlike his cold exterior. He let out a soft sigh which made Ivan smirk out of the view of the younger man.

"So, you did like it."

"I didn't say anything like that."

"It's okay to like it, Fredka." Ivan smiled and put an arm over the other man, pulling him into an embrace. Ivan felt Alfred sigh and relax at his act of affection. Fredka, I wish you could understand how much I don't want to always fight with you. Can't you see that I love you? Ivan thought. He frowned slightly and rested his head down on his pillow. Alfred was putting off a lot of heat.

"I-Ivan?" Alfred asked quietly. His face started to burn.

"What?"

"I did like the… er… Kiss thing." Alfred blushed harder, his cheeks turning a bright red. His face felt like it was going to burn off. Ivan's embrace tightened and Alfred's heart fluttered. He turned to face the violet eyed man.

"I'm glad." Ivan brought his lips to Alfred's again. This time, the kiss was deeper as they explored each other's mouths. Alfred broke of the kiss, gasping. Ivan eyes found his and they locked gazes for what seemed like an eternity.

Alfred sneezed and rubbed his nose. Ivan poked the American's nose.

"Bless you."

"Ah… Thanks." Alfred rubbed his temples as his headache started up again. He needed coffee and a cold shower. He reached over to the bedside table and searched blindly for his glasses. When he found them, he put them on and got out of the lush bed. Ivan watched as Alfred left and went down the stairs.

Alfred coughed on his way downstairs and sneezed a few more times. He disregarded it. Heroes didn't get sick and either did he. He smiled as he made the hot coffee. If just had a hamburger, he could so get rid of this pre-sickness thing. If he couldn't get a hold of one, so what? It would be gone by tomorrow. He sipped the warm liquid. It felt so good going down his throat and clearing his mind from the headache.

"I won't get sick." He told himself. He truly believed that he wouldn't be sick. He was a hero after all. He ran a hand through his now greasy hair and frowned. He would need a shower today and he probably didn't smell clean. He shrugged and drank the dark substance. For a second, his mind slipped to Arthur who was always drinking tea.

Alfred missed the others.

They were annoying, sure, but they were his friends. Alfred sighed. When would they be getting out of here? Why were they even here? Alfred glanced at the place where the telephone used to be before Ivan smashed it. Alfred would do anything right now to be able to talk to his brother or even Francis.

Alfred finished his coffee and went upstairs to go shower. He stood in the warm water, letting it wash away everything. He rubbed shampoo into his hair and let his mind drift. He tried to think of where he was a lot of the trees were familiar, so he couldn't be far from the North East*.

That's when the burning sensation set in. his soapy hands went right to his eyes to try to get out the shampoo that had fell into his eyes in the first place, making everything burn even more. He screamed and put his head directly under the shower head, letting the water rush onto his face.

"Stupid shitty shampoo! Bro, that isn't cool!" Alfred screamed as he washed the shampoo from his eyes. They still burned, even when they were washed out under the streaming head. She stood, letting the water flow over him, blinking.

Ivan heard the screaming and raised an eyebrow. What was he doing in there? The large man knocked on the door, even though the screaming had subsided. A thousand thoughts raced through his head. What would he do is Alfred hurt himself.

"Are you okay?" Ivan called through the door, trying to mask his panic.

"uh… Yeah!" Alfred said back, his voice a little raspy. The blonde went back to washing himself, but the bar of soap had gotten too slippery during I's extended period in the water. Alfred's grip on it wasn't very even, causing it to flop out of his hands and land hard in the tub. Alfred cringed at the thump made by the soap.

"Shit!"

Hearing the loud sound, Ivan jumped and pushed open the bathroom door.

"What's going on?" the Russian shouted, scanning the small bathroom. The shower was still running and the steam had heated up the room considerably. Alfred's head popped out from behind the shower curtain. He looked shocked as his blue eyes were wide and his mouth slightly open. His eyes were slightly red form the irritation of the shampoo.

"Dude! Get out!" The American shouted.

"What is going on? Why are your eyes so red?" Ivan asked, his tone worried and panicked.

"What is this, Twenty Questions*?"

"I just want answers," Ivan stated firmly. He glared at the American, even though he had gone back behind the shower curtain. A few minutes later, the shower stopped running and Alfred's hand reached for a towel. The young man came out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist. A scowl had made its way across Alfred's features as he laid eyes on Ivan.

"Why did you come barging in like that, dude?"

"I thought something was attacking you. You were in pain, da?" Ivan's expression turned into a gentle one.

"But still dude, I was naked in the shower." Alfred frowned and pulled another towel to dry his hair.

"How else to you use a shower, in your swimming trunks?" Ivan said sarcastically. Alfred only furrow is eyebrows in anger at the other man.

"Oh yeah, totally. It's totally not winter or anything." Sarcasm was thick in Alfred's voice as well.

Ivan shook his head and rolled his eyes. Alfred was so thick headed and impossible to deal with. He turned and left the bathroom to Alfred. He made his way downstairs and sat on the couch, staring at the ajar door. The fire had died out and a chill had entered the room. It wasn't anything that Ivan wasn't used to.

Alfred quickly dried off and put on fresh clothes. He was going down the stairs when he got a good view out of the small window on the front door. There were two tire tracks that might appear from years and years of use. Alfred raised an eyebrow. How did he just accept his fate here and not look for ways out?

"Hey, commie, did you notice the tire tracks leading out of the front of this place?"

Ivan shook his head. "No. Maybe we should go check them out. "Ivan grabbed his bottle of vodka that he had recently retrieved from his stash and stood up. He tossed Alfred his bomber jacket. Alfred caught it, his reflexes not as sharp as a cat's, but still sharp. Ivan hadn't seen the front of the house since they had gotten here. He had only seen the back yard and forest beyond.

"Yeah! Let's go!" Alfred said as she slipped his arms through the sleeves. "Why are bringing booze* anyways?"

"It warms you up, now let's get moving." Ivan said calmly as he slipped on his own tan colored coat. He ushered Alfred out of the front door and closed it behind them. Glancing around the front yard for the first time, he saw the tire tracks and cocked his head to the side as he looked at them. The grass had been worn away into two ruts that were tire sized in width.

"See, bro? They have to lead to somewhere and then we can get out of this place." Alfred noted, pointing in the direction that the tracks led. Alfred kicked at the dry dirt, dust filling the air and slowly sifting away with the breeze. His hands were stuck firmly in his pockets until he suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose.

"How come we have not noticed these before?" Ivan asked, his eyes furrowed in confusion and concentration.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because you're a commie bastard." Alfred suggested, shrugging with his palms facing the sky.

"Ha. Very funny, but maybe your stupid capitalist pig ways have clouded them from our view, da" Ivan retorted coldly. Alfred huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Ivan couldn't help but think that Alfred looked cute when he was angry like that.

Alfred glanced at Ivan, his blue eyes full of worry. "Still, do you think we can get out of here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starred Notes:
> 
> Twenty Questions: A popular electronic game where you think of something and answer questions with yes, no, sometimes, or unknown. The game then guesses what you think in only twenty questions! More recent games asks an extra five questions if it doesn't win on the first twenty.
> 
> Booze: Slang for alcohol.


	10. Chapter 10

Alfred settled the backpack filled with supplies on his back. He was glad that they were going to try and make it to civilization, but scared at the same time about what might lay ahead. He didn't have time to think about that too much, though. Heroes didn't do that; they barged forward and saved the day. Alfred smiled confidently into the direction that he and Ivan were going to be traveling. He was going to save them both and be the hero.

Ivan slapped Alfred on the back of the head as he walked forward. "Get your head out of the clouds, Fredka," Ivan mumbled. Alfred shook his head and rubbed the point of contact. It stung for a second, but there was still a lingering, low pain that stayed for several moments.

"I am. Gosh." Alfred was grumpy now that Ivan had ruined his moment. He followed the other man down the gravel path. The reassuring crunch of the rocks underfoot brought a sliver of hope to the blonde man. Maybe they would come upon a main road and hitch-hike their way back home! Alfred walked forward, his pace quickening.

"Slow down!" Ivan called from behind Alfred. He was taking his time along the gravel path, but it was getting harder to see the further they went due to the snow coverage. Ivan looked at Alfred's back which who was several paces in front of him.

"No time, dude! We got to get home!" Alfred shouted over his shoulder. Alfred listened to his steps. Where was the gravel? He came to a complete half and looked at the ground. His narrowed his blue eyes and furrowed his brow in concentration. Ivan, not knowing very much before hand of the stop, ran right into Alfred.

"What is the hold up?" he asked in a slightly irritated tone. Ivan stepped off to the side, holding a steady glare at Alfred.

"One, your face is freaking creepy right now. Two, where's the gravel, dude?" Alfred looked around. He visually followed their tracks to where the gravel path curved around a tree and out of sight. Ivan shrugged, not too surprised of any of the events.

"I don't know. It looks like the snow has covered it. Ivan stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Alfred rolled his eyes.

"Maybe we should continue going this direction?" he asked. "You're the expert on snow and stuff."

"Da. You are correct. We will go this way." Ivan pointed in the same direction they were walking before. Alfred nodded and they were off. Alfred stayed closer to Ivan the further they went. The scenery started to blend after a while. Each evergreen looked the same as the last and every barren tree was just as gloomy as the rest.

"That bush looks just like the one I peed on thirty minutes ago," Alfred whined. He didn't like all of this walking and was about to just sit down and freeze his butt off in the snow. Ivan pulled Alfred by the arm so that the other man didn't have the luxurious opportunity to sit.

Ivan looked down to see if Alfred was correct about the bush and sure enough there were old foot prints half covered with the slowly falling new snow. Ivan sighed and a warm cloud replaced the clear air in front of his lips. He looked in a direction they had not traveled and took off.

"We will go this way, da?" He asked as he kept walking, leaving Alfred half jogging to catch up with the other man's sudden, rapid movements.

"Hey! You could have warned me before you set off, bro!" Alfred said as she walked beside Ivan, breathing deeper than normal due to the sudden burst of energy. Ivan didn't respond in any way, leaving Alfred in the shadows of what was going on.

"Dude, I mean it. What's going on? Is there something that your commie ears can only pick up?" Alfred asked, poking the other man in the face repetitively.

"Stop! Be quiet! Can you seriously not hear the snow crunching behind us?" Ivan slapped away Alfred's hand and covered the younger man's loud mouth with his other hand. They need to get out of here and fast. Ivan had an unsure feeling in his gut that those distant, crunching footsteps weren't human ones.

Alfred tugged on Ivan's sleeve and pointed to a tall, old oak tree that any little kid would love to climb. Alfred a goofy smile on his face as he run up to the tree and started climbing it ever so slowly, going up one sturdy branch at a time.

Ivan watched, his head tilted in confusion until it hit him. There was a sharp bark, then a sustained howl. Ivan's violet eyes widened as he desperately clawed at the lowest tree limb. In the distance, he saw what looked like a giant moving hairball that was getting closer with each passing second. Alfred reached a sturdy hand down to Ivan.

"Dude! Take my hand!" Alfred yelled, panic filling his eyes. Without Ivan, he would probably die in the wilderness of starvation. That couldn't happen. Ivan grabbed the other man's hand and they were both propelled into the wide trunk of the ancient tree. They were both breathing heavily, sucking in the sweet air in large quantities as if they would never get any again.

"Thank you for helping me, Fredka," Ivan breathed. He was holding onto the other man as his heart slowed down from the initial shock of the pack of wolves that were now beneath them, tearing at the tree and snapping at each other.

Alfred took a look down to see at least eight of the creatures. They disrupted the once crisp snow with their wild prints. They snarled at the two men in the tree, even though they were very distant from each other. Alfred gulped and looked back at Ivan who had detached himself from Alfred and sitting a good foot away from him on the branch, straddling it between his legs like Alfred was doing.

"No problem. I couldn't let you get mauled by wolves. That would be totally unheroic," Alfred said in a shaky voice. He glanced back down at the wolves. They slowly started to disperse, only one staying back, keeping an eye on them. Alfred shuddered, then pulled his pack from his back and set it in front of him, his hands keeping a tight hold on it.

"Want some canned spaghetti?" Alfred asked, pulling a can of the stuff from the bag. He put his hand in the bag and fished around for some forks. His hand caught two sporks, which Alfred thought was the coolest thing in the world. He waved the sporks in Ivan's face until the violet eyed man pushed his hand away.

"Sure, Alfred." Ivan said gently, removing one of the sporks from the other's hand and waiting as Alfred pulled back the tab and dug the spork into the mushy spaghetti. Ivan smiled and they shared the meal. It was nice for once to relax without worrying over a broken door or a pack of wolves that would probably eat their faces off, but still, it was nice.

Alfred smiled and leaned against the trunk of the tree and spoke, breaking the silence, "Hey, Ivan. Do you think we can go on?"

"I think so," Ivan stated, looking at the ground as he did so. The pack seemed to have gone away and there wasn't a trace of them besides their half covered tracks. The two proceeded to swing down from the tree, zipped backpack and all. Alfred landed with an 'oof'.

"Let's keep going that way," Alfred suggested, pointing in the direction they were going earlier. They did, crunching fresh snow underfoot. Alfred hummed his national anthem and every other song to do with his nation. Those were really the only songs he remembered.

"Amber waves of grain…" he sang quietly as they went over a log.

"Ivan! Do I have amber waves of grain?"

"What?" Ivan asked, completely oblivious to what Alfred had been doing for the past hour.

"Like the song! Amber waves of grain!" the childish nation exclaimed.

"Uh, sure." Ivan said halfheartedly. He really had very little idea of what Alfred was talking about, but it was best to agree with the other country since he would sit there and argue for a long time or until you said something about hamburgers.

"Thanks." Alfred ran a hand through his golden blonde hair, looking pretty content with himself. They continued on like that until sunset finally came, casting long dark shadows in their path. Night was falling and they weren't alone.

There was a crunch in the snow that didn't fall in time with either of their steps and continued when they stopped. Then, there was growl ahead of them. They stopped.

"D-d-dude! I think those wolves are back!" Alfred said, grabbing hold of the Ivan. Ivan was shaking. He could deal with anything except whole packs of wolves. There were just too many bodies to deal with all at once.

These weren't the wolves from earlier. One stepped out, growling and staring at the two men. It was smooth furred and easily the size of a large bear. Its nose was smooshed against its face. Its beady black eyes were positioned close together on its head. It had the look of something that could undoubtedly maul them and eat them. It was like a science experiment gone wrong and now they were after the two countries.

Hulk-mutts stepped out around them, seeming to be the same ones from earlier. There was foam dripping from their mouths. It was a surprise that they even worked together in a semi pack form besides from the occasional fight.

"Ivan! Get out of your own little world and help me save you from rabies!" Alfred said as he un-holstered his pistol. He aimed it and shot at the terminal, rabies invested monstrosities.

"What are those things?" Ivan hissed as he retrieved the lead pip he always kept on his person. One lunged at him and he took a swing, meeting the beast in the temple. It whined and passed out. Alfred shrugged and shot at another, rapidly moving beast, getting it in between the eyes.

Another hulk-mutt lashed out with its huge flattened paw, its claws slashing into the American. Alfred let out a blood curdling scream and sunk to the ground, holding his wound on his abdomen with one hand while firing at the monster with his other.

"You may have got me, but I'm not letting you hurt my commie!" Alfred shouted as he killed the monster.

Ivan was in shock. Alfred only wanted to save him. He of all people was on the top of Alfred's priority list. The Russian narrowed his eyes and cracked down, whacking each mutt as it came at him. Blood was smeared on his clothing as well as Alfred's as they attacked the mutts.

One snapped at Ivan, threatening to bite the man. Foam sprayed on the front of Ivan's jacket from the beast's snapping jaws. He held it off with his outstretched horizontally placed pipe in its mouth. Alfred shot the monster through the eye, then the temple, causing it to fall to its death. The thud rang through the now covered forest.

Ivan and Alfred stood there, half in shock, half in exhaustion. Their heavy breathing was the only sound until Alfred's light laughter hit Ivan's ears. He found himself laughing also in relief that the treat was gone. There they stood, two blood covered idiots laughing in a pool of their enemy's blood.

Alfred found himself in Ivan's embrace and he didn't care. He was glad that they were both okay, even though he had a deep gash in his side that had bled through his t-shirt. Ivan looked at Alfred's wound, making a small tsk sound.

"I am not lying when I say that wound is very bad." Ivan poked at it, getting a satisfying yelp from Alfred. "I guess all we can do at this point is bandage you up, then we still must keep going."


	11. Chapter 11

Alfred winced as Ivan wrapped a clean bandage around his chest. Alfred had wanted to do it on his own, but when he tried and failed, the other man stepped in to help. Ivan wrapped the bandages a little too tight for Alfred's comfort but it stopped the bleeding better than his pathetic attempt.

"How come you came out of this unharmed?" Alfred huffed, crossing his arms. He glared at ivan, his eyes narrowed.

Ivan chuckled and patted snow from his pants, "Because I am not stupid." He walked further into the forest, looking around. The red stained snow stopped just outside of their comfortable tree. They had moved the dead beasts to another part of the woods, marking the way they had come. Hopefully, the two wouldn't get lost again, but with the way Alfred led, getting lost was an option to be considered.

Ivan squinted , trying to think of a way out of these woods. They hadn't heard a car engine at all since they had found themselves here. He wondered, for a second, about why they had gotten lost in the first place. His thoughts were broken thanks to a young blonde.

"Dude! Let's get moving!" Alfred said brightly as he took the lead. A smile danced at the corners of Ivan's mouth. This arrogant, obnoxious and highly oblivious young man had saved his life and for that, the Russian was highly appreciative. It wasn't everyday someone said that to him. Ivan's expressions softened as he watched the back of the American.

He noticed how proudly the young man walked, he noticed how much it suited him. Ivan noticed how he was fit with a strong frame even if he was a smaller man than Ivan. He twirled his long pipe absentmindedly as they walked. He didn't mean to notice these things about Alfred, but the guy had a nice body and Ivan liked it. His eyes lingered on Alfred's shoulders and butt.

Alfred had an unnerving sense that he was being watched. He didn't want to make things awkward by turning around and finding Ivan staring at him. He sighed and continued on, trying to shake the feeling. His blue eyes gazed along the snow covered forest, trying to see anything that meant that they were safe.

He saw nothing of the sort.

There were just trees. The young man tried to see past the trees, but there was just barren shrubbery amongst the bare trees. He sighed loudly and kept trudging on, not really watching where he was going. He only noticed the crunch of crisp snow underfoot.

Alfred felt something catch his foot and the cold air whipping around him as he got a face full of snow. He pushed himself up and looked round, his blue eyes full of worry. How could he not have noticed the trip wire? He mentally groaned.

"Alfred!" Ivan called out, extending a hand, but only reaching the frigid air and falling snow. The young man he had tried to warn, was now laying in the snow as a deafening siren began to wail. Alfred's hands had gone to his ears and his lower body compressed underneath his midsection.

"It's just a drill. It's just a drill…" Alfred muttered to himself. He was overtaken by many flashbacks and emotions. He had gone through many drills and now a similar siren screamed, triggering the painful memories left behind from previous alarms. He shivered, not wanting to think about what happened while such a siren wailed. He felt hot tears roll over his cheeks as he feared the worst.

Ivan dropped to his knees, placing his hands on the other man's back. He gently yanked up as he grasped the other man's leather jacket, pulling the American closer to him and into a hug. He closed his violet eyes and wiped the tears from Alfred's face with his thumb.

"Shhh Fredka," he cooed. "Everything will be fine. It is just noise you have triggered." Ivan kept his voice low and comforting. Alfred opened his watery eyes and looked at the silver haired man, sniffling.

"I think it's stupid, just like you…" Alfred tried. He really tried to throw an insult at the man who was comforting him, but nothing to bad came to mind. Ivan just laughed and brought both of them up to their feet.

Alfred stepped away from the chord he had tripped over with a frown. What was up with these woods? First some failed experiment attacked them and now he was going deaf thanks to some stupid siren. Ivan had already started heading in a different direction. He went left instead of straight which would have led them back to the tree that the monsters attacked them at.

Alfred ran to catch up the long distance between the two.

"Hey dude! Slow down!" he called before finally reaching the older man. Ivan ignored the blonde and continued walking. The wailing siren has ceased and the forest had a sickening silence about it.

"Hey, dude… The siren stopped. Dude! DUDE!" Alfred's voice got louder and louder as he spoke. "DUDE. I'M PRETTY SURE IT'S OKAY TO TALK AND STUFF." He screamed. Ivan didn't even glance at him. By now, Alfred was getting pretty angry. He wasn't one to take kindly to being ignored. He harshly punched the other man in the shoulder.

Ivan turned to see Alfred practically red in the face from anger. He rubbed the spot where Alfred's fist had made contact with his arm. He was dazed, confused and he noticed a silence coming from Alfred's moving mouth. He blinked a few times.

" Hey! Commie, can ya even here me?" Alfred said, a venomous tone attached to his words. He wasn't liking this unresponsive version of Ivan. He looked at the other man with question.

Ivan sensed that something was wrong. Alfred's pie hole never moved and didn't make some God-awful sound.

"Stop playing games on me, Alfred. I know you're just moving your mouth without making sound." Ivan glared at Alfred, not taking any of the younger man's jokes.

Alfred grabbed Ivan the shoulders and lightly shook him. "Dude! I'm not playing with you!" Alfred's blue eyes were full of worry. What happened to Ivan? Was the man not used to the siren?

Ivan narrowed his eyes at the other man, then opened them again as a flood of sound came to him. He groaned and rubbed his ears. What was that? He blinked his violet eyes and looked into Alfred's blue ones in apology. He looked around the forest. It was still silent, but at least he could hear the wind whip by and the crunch of snow underneath Alfred's boots as he shuffled around.

The two men sighed a harmonious sigh of relief before smiling at each other. They slowly broke out into laughter. It was the kind of laughter that brings closure and comfort to a close situation. It was a laugh that broke down the wall of stress that was surrounding them.

"That was close, man," Alfred breathed in between chuckles. Ivan nodded, a wide grin plastered on his face. Alfred covered the other man's less than comforting smile with his hand.

"Let's keep that creepy smile far away from us, okay?" Alfred patted Ivan the back and the confused man looked left and right, wondering what that was all about.

Ivan then took on a puzzled look. He looked straight ahead, his lips pressed together at a slight slant.

"You do know what happens after a siren like that, da?"


	12. Chapter 12

Alfred nodded in response to Ivan's question. He knew a little too well what the deafening siren meant. The wire must have tripped something bigger than they ever could have imagined. His ankle pained him slightly as he put pressure on it. He grabbed the jacketed arm of his companion and moved forwards slightly.

"Dude! We might wanna run!" Alfred called. Ivan nodded and quickly trekked forwards through the snow. The white wonderland was only disrupted by bare trees and thick evergreens. Alfred looked behind him. He tried to block out the blaring siren that rung through his head even through the silence with no avail. His blonde brows were furrowed in worry, an expression that has become increasingly more common on his once carefree face.

Ivan had a considerable lead on the blonde. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he had a good idea. He glanced over his shoulder, slowing his pace as he did so. Alfred had snapped his head back to the front of his body. He seemed to be limping slightly; it got better as he went further. Ivan turned back to face the snow in front of him. He was led only by his pure intention of surviving whatever followed the siren.

Alfred gasped as the ground shook beneath him. He felt a firm grasp on his shoulder, forcing him downward. He got a numbing face-full of cold snow. His hands went to cover his ears, his body in the standard 'fetal position' that he was accustomed to. His mind seemed to take him to a far off place as everything changed around him. Ivan was close by, so close Alfred could feel the immense heat coming from the other man's body.

Without thinking twice, Alfred snuggled his way into Ivan's side. Both of the countries were shaking. Alfred didn't know if he could save the both of them from this. He knew that he had been less than a good person while Ivan was being the sweetest on of the pair. Alfred took in a shaky breath of crisp, winter air and let out a loud ugly sob. He continued, letting his frustrations and pent up emotions redeem their freedom.

In the distance, a boom vibrated the forest, followed by a silence even more deafening than the initial bomb. Alfred had closed his eyes as tight as he possibly could. Who was even stupid enough to have a trip wire like that in the middle of some stupid forest?

Ivan sat up once the world around him stopped shaking. The bomb wasn't as big as he initially thought, but if there was one, there was bound to be more. I gently shook Alfred's shoulder, getting a look of deep sadness in the other man's blue eyes. Ivan felt a pain in his heart. A pain of sympathy which he did not feel often. He sighed deeply and brought the other man to his chest in a tight embrace.

Alfred's heart felt like it was going to run out of body, it was beating so fast. He cuddled into Ivan's comforting body and stayed there, listening to the larger man's heart beat. It fluttered, much like his own.

"Ivan… What we gonna do now?" Alfred asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Ivan shrugged, and then slowly brought the both of them up so they were standing.

"Away from here," Ivan suggested as he brushed snow from his clothing. Alfred nodded, his blonde hair bouncing as he did so. Ivan smiled slightly and took the other man's hand. Alfred sighed and interlaced his gloved fingers with Ivan's. He might as well just admit it now; he really liked Ivan. Maybe a little more than he wanted to admit.

Alfred gave Ivan a slide glance as they walked forward. The other man seemed to be focused on the ground in front of him. His scarf now covered a large portion of his face. Alfred shrugged it off. He thought it was normal.

Ivan felt as if his face was going to burn off. He was actually holding hands with someone he had admired despite the tensions. He had pulled his scarf to hide his reddening face and overly happy smile. He felt that this was perfect, despite the bomb and constant threat of another trip wire. He swept his gaze across the snow blanketed forest floor in front of them.

They seemed to walk in the same direction for hours. Alfred tugged on Ivan's sleeve, pointing to shy darkening sky when the purple gaze met his. Ivan's lips shaped one simple syllable; 'oh'. Alfred went off for some firewood as Ivan cleared snow from under a thick-trunked tree. It was a simple camp, really. A warm fire was lit with plenty of wood to keep it fed and a large patch of forest floor, littered with soft pine needles.

They laid beside each other, huddled close. The warm glow of the fire fought off the darkness around them. If they were lucky, terrible creatures might not attack them and they could get some sleep. Alfred could barely keep his eyes open. His head rested on Ivan's shoulder as he snored softly. The night was filled only the crackling of the fire and soft sounds of snow falling onto snow.

Ivan reluctantly stayed awake and fed the fire as Alfred slept. He could almost feel bags forming under his eyes from the stress of the past few days and lack of sleep. He sat facing the fire, staring into its depths. It was a boring night, perfect for reading or drinking alone with a radio on. He was without all of those things. He glanced over at the sleeping form of Alfred and smiled tenderly. He couldn't wake his ass up and get his turn to sleep.

He shook the other man's shoulder violently, causing the once sleeping form to lash out, his blue eyes wide.

"Duuude… that's not cool," whined a half-asleep Alfred. He rubbed his eyes, then his hair. He blinked a few times, taking in the relative time and his surroundings. According to his ever so careful calculations, it was night or something. Too bad he sucked at math.

Alfred glared at Ivan, his blue eyes gleaming. If he had heat vision, he would totally be burning holes in Ivan's face right now. The blonde narrowed his eyes, hoping he did have the power to burn holes straight through the dumbass that woke him up from his sleep. Ivan gave him a stupid look which only succeeded in bothering Alfred more.

"It is your turn to keep watch. I watched over you, now it's my turn to sleep." Ivan spoke frankly. He pointed towards the spot where he kept watch over their pathetic camp. The fire had gone down considerably, the light even dimmer than the first tastes of darkness.

They stared at each other for stretched moments. Purple orbs met blue, colliding lights of the aurora borealis*. Alfred wrapped his bomber jacket closer around him and broke the gaze. Ivan blinked innocently. He laid on his back.

"Good, You keep watch from there. " Ivan smiled and closed his eyes. Alfred opened his mouth in protest, but the other man had already drifted asleep. Alfred crossed his arms over his chest and huffed in annoyance. He glanced at Ivan's sleeping form from the corner of his eye. Ivan looked somewhat peaceful and less stressed. Alfred wished that Ivan could keep that look of child-like carefree forever, but their situation wasn't exactly that comforting. They out in the middle of the woods for Christ's sake. There were bombs going off and his leg was on pins and needles**.

Alfred threw some wood onto the fire. The pile was dwindling. Alfred had stopped caring a while ago. Normally, he would think about getting more, but he was tired right now. He watched Ivan sleep. The lucky bastard probably would have the longest opportunity to sleep since they had no idea what time it actually was. It could be eleven at night for all he knew. Alfred huffed again. His gaze softened as he realized that maybe Ivan deserved a good rest.

Alfred leaned close to Ivan. He looked at them sleeping man before planting a soft kiss in his hair. A soft kiss that Ivan would never know about. Alfred surely didn't want to admit his feelings for the other man. They were enemies, right? You can't fall in love with some against you, except that Ivan had wandered onto his side. Alfred furrowed his brow. What exactly was going on?

"Ivan… I… I so don't wanna tell you that I kind of really like-like you." Alfred's voice was barely above a whisper as the man spoke to the fire. Behind him, Ivan had opened one, wide eye. He opened the other and smiled.

"The feeling is mutual, Alfred." Ivan had worked his way up so his back was propped against the tree trunk. Alfred stared at him, shocked. His face was beet red.

"You weren't supposed to hear that! I thought you were asleep!" Alfred cast his gaze to the ground. He was flustered and dying to escape. Ivan sat there and laughed at him.

"You are so cute! " Ivan smiled as he patted the pine needles beside him, "Come sit with me." Reluctantly, Alfred sat beside Ivan. His gaze was still adverting the Russian. Ivan slipped an arm around the other man, hugging him close. Alfred gave into Ivan's warmth and snuggled into Ivan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starred Notes:
> 
> * Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights
> 
> ** Pins and Needles - The feeling that comes along with your limbs falling asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Light beat upon Alfred's eyelids as dawn broke in the forest. His blue eyes fluttered as the man regained his senses and urged his frozen body awake. Alfred looked past his boots and the smoldering pile of ash that had once been a warm fire. He wiped the crust from his eyes and slowly blinked as his gloved hand ran along the stubble along his jaw. The blonde bent his knees. An audible pop sounded from the young man's joints as well as the rushed flapping of wings from the local wildlife.

Alfred looked around the pine needle spot from which he had slept. An indentation from where his body once lay remained. A new sheet of snow filled in the trail of footprints to the point where Alfred had to recall where he and Ivan had come from. In the silence of morning, lost in thought, Alfred recalled all that had happened recently. He slowly gnawed on the inside of his cheek as he became lost in his thoughts.

The young man looked to his right where Ivan laid. The silver-haired man's chest slowly rose and fell with each deep breath of sleep. Alfred's gaze softened. Ivan was never as bad as Alfred tried to make it seem. All those years of living fear for what? Alfred leaned down and placed a light peck on the sleeping man's cheek despite what his boss told him what was wrong or right. His heart, although conflicted, edged him to make peace with the other nation. Maybe Alfred may allow himself to love Ivan but the repercussions of that were unthinkable. The Red Scare was alive and strong and if his boss found out, Alfred would be the butt of every joke, the warning of every fable.

He shook his head before taking a deep breath in and letting it out. The young man slowly stretched out his limbs before he made an attempt to get up from the now compressed pine needle bed. The embers in the fire pit were cold and no longer glowed when he kicked them. Alfred began kicking some snow on the ashes to cover up any signs that they had been there, but the lack of snow encompassing a dirty pile of the flakes said otherwise. He stood with his back to Ivan and shoved his hands into his bomber jacket's pockets, but, at this point his jacket did little to keep him warm.

A soft rustle behind him alerted the blonde that Ivan was waking up. He turned to meet the older man but said nothing. A rosy blush spread over Alfred cheeks as he gave a brisque wave then returned his gloved hand to his pocket. Ivan smiled.

"Good morning." The Russian greeted with a yawn. He too stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "Is there anything to eat?"

Alfred nodded his head. To his knowledge, there wasn't anything suitable for breakfast in their backpack but he did rummage around his coat pockets. "Hold on a second..." he mumbled as he pulled objects from his coat. A twenty dollar bill, an extra glove, a gas receipt and a package of almonds. He took the small bag and waved it at arms length from his body.

"I have this." Alfred offered. Ivan smiled sweetly and gently took the package and began to open it.

"You know, fredka," He began as he devided the amount of nuts in half in his gloved palm. "I'm sorry I have said some mean things to you in recent years and I am sorry." Ivan looked at Alfred and took the other man's palm and dropped some almonds in it. "I am so sorry..."

"Hey," Alfred fisted his hand around the nuts and put his arms around the Russian. "I've been totally mean too. It's a-OK, man." Alfred said in an attempt to comfort the Russian. Ivan just leaned into the American's embrace. Ivan stayed in Alfred's embrace for what felt like forever to the American. After a while, Alfred wince from the pain of the Russians arms digging into his wound. He hadn't had a chance to check the wound but he hoped it had at least scabbed over.

Ivan released Alfred form his grasp after he had squirmed around for a few seconds. Upon his release, Ivan blushed a pale pink and looked away while clearing his throat.

"I am uh... sorry. Is your... w-wound better?" Ivan asked with a clear fight for the right words to say. Alfred shrugged and unzipped his jacket then lifted his shirt. The shirt itself was stained dark red where the gas was initially but now it just looked gross. Ivan bit his lip and closed his eyes for a brief moment. "We should treat that, da?" Ivan added with a glance at the American's face.

"Sure. I guess..." Alfred replied with a gesture to the backpack that laid near their pine needle bed. He doubted there was anything helpful in there but hey, help was help. He watched Ivan as the other man rummaged around the backpack looking for anything that would be of use to treat the gash in Alfred's side. Just as the American was about to complain about being cold, Ivan pulled a small, vacuum-sealed package from one of the pockets of the backpack and stood up.

"I found this and I think it will help." Ivan smiled as he showed Alfred the package of thin gauze. The Russian knelt down and took a fist full of clean snow. Water dripped from his gloved hand to a piece of cloth which he then used to clean the affected area.

"Hey! That hurts!" Alfred cried out but Ivan only hushed him.

"Do not cry like a baby, Alfred. It is unbecoming." Ivan said in a monotone voice. After Ivan had cleaned Alfred's wound, he carefully peeled away the plastic surrounding the gauze and stuck layers of the thin fabric to the other man's gash. Alfred winced at each touch but refrained from crying out. Who knew a day old wound could still hurt so much.

Once the whole ordeal was finished, they both ate their nuts and Alfred was allowed to put his shirt down and try to regenerate the body heat he had sacrificed to the cold.

"The hamburgers have been treating you well, I see." Ivan said in an attempt to break the silence that had persisted for a few minutes. Alfred looked down at his figure at first in anger then in embarrassment.

"I guess. I think I look o.k." Alfred replied. He knew what jab Ivan was throwing and he wasn't having it. "I guess they've been treating me about as well as the steady diet of vodka has been treating you."

Ivan gave a hearty chuckle and nodded. "Da. I try to supplement my diet with more but the vodka has me in her bitter grip." He retorted while clutching his hand into a fist in the air. Alfred didn't smile.

"We should really get going. The sun isn't going to be up forever." Alfred said in an attempt to end the conversation.

Ivan nodded and went to retrieve the backpack from where he left it. Upon taking the bag into his arms, the Russian zipped up any open pockets and slung it over his shoulder. The nylon outside of the bag groaned as the man slipped his arms through the straps and adjusted it on his back. With a smile, Ivan took the lead.

The freshly fallen snow crunched under the men's boots as they walked. The campsite had long since disappeared in the distance. Alfred had been silent for a while now and Ivan had began to chew the inside of his mouth. He had begun to think that he had said something wrong but the Russian refused to look back at Alfred. He didn't want to upset the younger man further. However, Alfred held his injured abdomen and started to wince after an hour of walking. He had eaten his handful of nuts a while ago and by the position of the sun, it was approximately noon.

Ivan ignored the gnawing hunger in his gut and the high position of the sun behind the grey clouds. He focused mainly on moving forward; he focused on moving away from the wooden prison of the cabin. Lost in thought, Ivan took a sharp left and was jolted into reality by a hard tug on the backpack. He gasped when he was dragged backward a few steps and a look back at his travelling companion told him he had done something wrong.

"Dude, you were about walk off that cliff!" Alfred exclaimed. He was too angry to wince in pain as he contorted his body in order to pull the Russian from the edge of the cliff. "Seriously what were you thinking?"

Ivan blinked a few times and took his first good look at the snow covered terrain in front of him. "I was just moving forward. Its not like you think much about the consequences of your actions, Mr. America."

"You know what you irrelevant pile of shit?" Alfred snapped. He had released his grip on the backpack and retreated a few steps from the Russian. "I thought that I had forgiven you and even made peace with you-"

"Alfred stop. I'm so-" Ivan tried to calm the angry youth. He reached out a hand only for it to be slapped away.

"I'm not finished yet." Alfred exhaled in an attempt to regain composure. "I thought we had something but you sure know what to say to make me want to strangle you. I'm done with this..." Alfred exhaled sharply as tears came to his eyes. "I just want to go home!" His voice cracked as he shouted. In the distance, a bird cawed and flew from a tree. He turned on his heel and walked away at a brisk pace in the opposite direction.

Ivan's mouth was agape. Never had Alfred said something like that to him. Sure, they had their moments but nothing that cut each one of Ivan's heartstrings like that. He spent a few moments staring after Alfred as a warm sensation spilled over his chest. Once he couldn't stand the crushing loneliness and annoying sensation, he unbuttoned his coat only to find blood dripping from his chest. His heart condition. The Russian swallowed before tentatively taking off one of his gloves so he could inspect himself. He tried to press some gauze from the backpack to his chest but he still felt pain in his heart. He had hurt Alfred and ultimately himself.

"I'm so sorry Alfred." He found himself muttering that to himself as he put the backpack back on and buttoned up his coat. He mumbled that phrase as he backtracked and looked for the other man. He muttered that phrase when Alfred's footprints suddenly ceased.


	14. Chapter 14

Ivan stooped down to examine the set of footprints that belonged to his companion. They stopped in the middle of a small clearing and the Russian concluded that there was no way that Alfred could jump from where the tracks ended to any nearby trees. In fact, just after the footprints stopped, there was a large indentation in the snow. It was body shaped in nature but the falling snow seemed to have filled it in a few centimeters.

Ivan felt as if his heart was going to leap from his chest, it was beating so fast. The large man clutched his chest and grimaced for a moment. He needed to calm down. He needed this feeling to go away. He need Alfred to be alright. He exhaled as he stood up and strained to look around. The falling snow seemed to silence the forest.

What happened?

Ivan bit his lower lip and fiddled with his scarf as he tried to come up with possible explanations for the blond's disappearance but nothing came to mind. The Russian bit his lower lip and practically felt his lips dry from the cold wind.

Suddenly, he could feel everything around him. The wind blew through his coat and the warm breath from his nose warmed his lips as the snow fell around him. The world seemed to slow down around him but he could feel his hearts as it strained against his chest. His hand was still clutched to his chest and a grimace still plastered on his pale face. Ivan's violet eyes scanned the area several times in disbelief.

What worried the man the most was the lack of evidence of a struggle. The snow only held the indentation that vaguely man-shaped and that was it. Clean, white snow and the quickly filling indentation of a man.

Ivan stumbled forward a few steps before he too fell into the snow. Alfred had given him their supply backpack earlier which left the American with nothing. The Russian had flung the small backpack onto the snow beside him. Every look at the object sent the man into an anxiety attack. His breath came fast and hard as he grasped at the snow.

"I'm so sorry, Alfred," he mumbled once again, his accent thicker in his distress. He turned his face to the clouded sky and let the cold flakes fall onto his skin. They were a nice contrast to the warmth that spread over his chest. He was bleeding again but this time, he could see red spots on the front of his coat. The man winced as he laid down, chest to the cold snow.

The snow would have reminded him of home but he felt empty and alone. All he could do was close his eyes as he lay in Alfred's snow indentation.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw a small indentation where the snow was ever so slightly packed in. His eyes opened wider and he sat up. The snow underneath the Russian was red but he didn't focus on that. He looked closer at the circular impression. The only conclusion he could come up with was snow shoes.

"Why didn't I see that before?" Ivan asked himself. He reached a gloved hand to touch the track. It was almost impossible to see from the angle he had searched the area at but now that he was level with the snow, he could see them.

Ivan took his time to stand up and winced in pain when it came time to move his torso. He snatched the backpack from the ground and flung it over his shoulders but fumbled a little when he tried to slip his other arm into the strap.

With his eyes focused on the faint outlines of the snowshoe tracks, the man let out a large breath and started walking. Ivan was determined to find Alfred and possibly get some medical help.

The sun was falling and cast orange light onto the snow but Ivan kept his pace. He was focused on nothing but the tracks even if he didn't get anywhere. However, when the sun had finally set, the man looked up from the tracks.

The snow had stopped falling and the forest was silent. Now that the sound of snow crunching under his boots had stopped, he could finally hear the beautiful silence. At least, he would have thought the silence to be beautiful if he hadn't gotten used to Alfred's mindless chatter. He would have preferred such mindless chatter over the almost deafening silence. Ivan allowed himself to look around. He didn't know where he was and he felt like every part of the forest looked like every other part of the forest.

Ivan sighed. The snowshoe tracks seemed like they went on forever and he felt fatigue overtake his body. A pine tree with its branches weighed down with snow looked inviting to the man so he went towards it. He positioned the backpack to be used as a pillow but he felt like something was missing. He missed the warmth of Alfred's body next to his. The Russian rolled over onto his back and let out a shaky sigh. Surely in the morning he would be able to find his missing counterpart.

"I'm sorry, Alfred," he mumbled as he once again laid on his side. "I promise I'll make it up to you." He closed his eyes and drifted to a fitful, dreamless sleep.

Light shining against his eyelids woke the Russian and in his grogginess, he couldn't make out the speech that filled his ears. The loud voices seems to echo off the trees and the light made the man shield his eyes from the bright white light. He felt a pressure on his upper body and eventually he felt himself being dragged from under the pine tree.

"Get off me!" He screamed as he thrashed. He muttered some sharp words in his native tongue but he was too groggy to really care about he let escape his lips. The hands on his body held fast despite the large man's attempt to escape. In the distance, he heard the rumble of a truck engine and Ivan felt a new wave of adrenaline rush through his body.

"You cannot take me anywhere!" He felt wide awake now, his violet eyes large. There were a pair of thick, red snow gloves and pair of leather gloves holding onto either side of his body. The red gloves lead to a red nylon coat and long blond tresses. On the other side, the dark brown leather gloves lead to a brown coat and to bright blue eyes looking into his own violet ones.

"We're here to save you, buddy."


End file.
